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estherkim · Jun 21, 2011, 12:47 PM

Hey guys.. a couple of days ago, my macbook pro 15" fell from the top of my bunk bed (which is like 10' tall)
It fell face down and open.. like this --> ^
I have some severe denting on the back case and the CD player is like dented in..
WHAT DO I DO ?????

I RLY don't want to go to Apple to fix this.
It seems to be working fine.. but I'm worried the insides were shaken up and that some problems might arise later on..

HELP

amazing · Jun 21, 2011, 01:07 PM

As long as it's working, you've got time to think about it--and you might as well just continue using it as normal. Just make sure you have very frequent backups. Think of the dents and scratches as battle scars, honorably acquired (at least that's what you tell people--don't mention the bunk bed, tell everyone it happened while you were working on an urgent deadline, running barefoot thru the snow to get to FedEx.)

Also, when the MBP's up in the bunk bed, you might consider tethering it to a bungie cord.

CharlesS · Jun 21, 2011, 02:48 PM

I second the suggestion to keep regular backups. Hard drives are very sensitive against blunt impacts, and a hard drive failure will take all your data with it. If you don't have a Time Machine drive or a Time Capsule, now would be a good time to get one.

P · Jun 21, 2011, 04:56 PM

You don't mention the circumstances or the exact model, but most models of MBP have sensors that protect the HD from falls. 10' is a lot, but if it is still working, chances are you lucked out.

In any case, you should back up now. Really. You will hate yourself forever if the Mac dies now and you didn't do anything.

CharlesS · Jun 21, 2011, 05:33 PM

All the sensor does is to spin the drive down, to lessen the amount of damage it will take — not eliminate it.

I once dropped a laptop, and the hard drive seemed to work in the short term, but started failing a few months after that with a whole bunch of bad sectors. I don't think it was a coincidence.

At any rate, having a good backup solution is a good idea even if you hard drive hasn't been dropped on the floor.

estherkim · Jun 22, 2011, 02:46 PM

I got my macbook in summer 2010.. not sure what model it is :/

should i back up my stuff on an external hard drive?

estherkim · Jun 22, 2011, 02:47 PM

Originally Posted by CharlesS

All the sensor does is to spin the drive down, to lessen the amount of damage it will take — not eliminate it.

I once dropped a laptop, and the hard drive seemed to work in the short term, but started failing a few months after that with a whole bunch of bad sectors. I don't think it was a coincidence.

At any rate, having a good backup solution is a good idea even if you hard drive hasn't been dropped on the floor.

omg.. i really cant afford to have my hard drive crash rn
GAH

estherkim · Jun 22, 2011, 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by amazing

As long as it's working, you've got time to think about it--and you might as well just continue using it as normal. Just make sure you have very frequent backups. Think of the dents and scratches as battle scars, honorably acquired (at least that's what you tell people--don't mention the bunk bed, tell everyone it happened while you were working on an urgent deadline, running barefoot thru the snow to get to FedEx.)

Also, when the MBP's up in the bunk bed, you might consider tethering it to a bungie cord.

lol nice story
but everybody already knws it fell from my bed :/

P · Jun 22, 2011, 05:04 PM

Originally Posted by estherkim

should i back up my stuff on an external hard drive?

YES. Easiest is to get a drive larger than your current HD and just let Time Machine do its thing.

estherkim · Jun 23, 2011, 11:49 AM

how long would it take for time machine to back up ~2 yrs worth of data?

CharlesS · Jun 23, 2011, 01:29 PM

A few hours, probably. It will do it in the background while you get other work done. If you get a Time Capsule, it can even do it wirelessly, and all you'll have to do is to leave the machine sitting around while connected to the wireless network.

kenna · Jun 23, 2011, 03:17 PM

My ex-gf threw my MacBook after we broke up, she threw it from waist height and stated that she was just 'shaking it' but I'm pretty sure she threw it.

She smashed the screen (cost £200+, like literally, it was shattered, the man in the Apple Store looked at her like :/ what the hell did you do?!) and the SuperDrive worked for about 5 more times... then failed continually afterwards. The Hard Drive however, surprisingly, is still going 2+ years later but like others have suggested, back up.

After 2+ years of carrying the bend in my MacBook Black, I've splashed out and got a new one.

How bad is the dint? Of course, yours is aluminium and mine was a black MacBook. Sorry to hear of your situation, I definitely been there.

Salty · Jun 25, 2011, 01:32 AM

Dude you should see my 12 inch PowerBook. That thing is dented like crazy. I once got my foot caught in the chord and sent it sailing across my dorm room onto a concrete floor. The Hard drive failed two months later

Thankfully I got everything off in time.

But seriously just get an external at best buy or something, you can get a terabyte for 100 these days or cheaper. You should have a backup anyway. Odds are in a month or so your HDD will fail, thankfully replacing that's easy. As for your case ... it'll be a reminder to be more careful.

estherkim · Jun 27, 2011, 11:50 AM

Originally Posted by kenna

My ex-gf threw my MacBook after we broke up, she threw it from waist height and stated that she was just 'shaking it' but I'm pretty sure she threw it.

She smashed the screen (cost £200+, like literally, it was shattered, the man in the Apple Store looked at her like :/ what the hell did you do?!) and the SuperDrive worked for about 5 more times... then failed continually afterwards. The Hard Drive however, surprisingly, is still going 2+ years later but like others have suggested, back up.

After 2+ years of carrying the bend in my MacBook Black, I've splashed out and got a new one.

How bad is the dint? Of course, yours is aluminium and mine was a black MacBook. Sorry to hear of your situation, I definitely been there.

the dents are only on the upper left corner of the back cover and where the CD insert is..
it doesnt look too bad with my hard snap-on case on.. but i can still notice it :/
the keyboard is also slightly dented inwards

chipchen · Jul 25, 2011, 12:16 AM

Got any pics of the damage?

Sounds like you got really lucky.

If you took it to the Apple Store, they'd likely set up the repair as a Tier 2, so long as everything is working and the damage is only cosmetic. That'd cover changing all the cosmetic parts of the laptop, casing and such... and run you about $650. Now, if there's ANYTHING wrong with the computer functionality wise, it'd be put to Tier 3, which would run closer to $950.

Another option is to take it to another Apple Authorized Service Provider and have them just replace the casing that's damaged. It'll probably cost you the replacement parts plus labor... so you'll probably still be looking at about $400 at least.

But again, sounds like you got lucky and if I were you, I'd just make sure to keep time machine on and keep using the computer as is.

estherkim · Jul 25, 2011, 04:24 PM

Originally Posted by chipchen

Got any pics of the damage?

Sounds like you got really lucky.

If you took it to the Apple Store, they'd likely set up the repair as a Tier 2, so long as everything is working and the damage is only cosmetic. That'd cover changing all the cosmetic parts of the laptop, casing and such... and run you about $650. Now, if there's ANYTHING wrong with the computer functionality wise, it'd be put to Tier 3, which would run closer to $950.

Another option is to take it to another Apple Authorized Service Provider and have them just replace the casing that's damaged. It'll probably cost you the replacement parts plus labor... so you'll probably still be looking at about $400 at least.

But again, sounds like you got lucky and if I were you, I'd just make sure to keep time machine on and keep using the computer as is.

yeah.. i definitely consider myself lucky
i still haven't had any complications so wheww!

i can definitely take some pics if you're curious as to how extensive the damage is.. my dad and i have tried to fix some of the dents so the pics won't be an absolutely accurate depiction of the original damage